Prayers of encouragement when you are misunderstood
Written by Sophia Bricker
Bible reading:
“He was a man of sorrows, who was despised and rejected and who knew deep sorrow. We turned our backs on him and turned away from him. He was despised and we did not care. But it was our weaknesses that he carried. It was our sorrows that weighed on him. And we thought that his troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for his own sins!” (Isaiah) 53:3-4, New Translation of the Bible).
Listen or read below:
Silence is often mistaken for indifference. Sometimes even anger and disobedience. My 4th grade substitute teacher assumed this and taught me this. As usual, I sat quietly at my desk, folded my hands, and focused my attention on the teacher. Unlike others in the class, I did not say or speak my answers out loud during the lesson. My mother taught me to be quiet at school, so I was naturally shy. Even my closest friends knew that I wasn’t a talkative person.
But the substitute teacher stopped after asking a class question. “Anyone have a guess?” she pointed at me. “What about you? Are you too good at answering? A bit of a snob.”
Perhaps she was having a difficult day or had a bad encounter in class in the past. However, this comment was more than just an insult; it was deeply hurtful. It was painful to be misunderstood and have quiet caution taken as arrogant judgment. Tears started to sting my eyes, but they didn’t come until I told my mom about it on the way home from school.
Most of us have experienced when others misunderstood our words, actions, or intentions. A student’s silence is misinterpreted as snobbery. A mother’s wise rules for her children come across as unsympathetic commands. Or, conversations between friends may be misinterpreted due to hearsay. No matter our situation, we can take comfort in knowing that we are not alone. Our Savior knows what it is like to be judged unjustly. Because even though Jesus is the perfect Son of God, religious and government leaders crucified Jesus as a criminal (Isaiah 53:3-9). They hurled insults at Jesus as if he were an evil sinner.
How wrong they were! But Jesus, the sinless Lamb of God, endured the suffering of being misunderstood and called a sinner, even though He died on the cross for the sins of all of us. As the Bible says, “God made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21, ESV).
Although our experiences do not match His, we find comfort in knowing that He empathizes with our pain. And just like God, we can trust God, the Father, who knows our circumstances perfectly, to do things that others cannot do (see 1 Peter 2:23). We can take the tears of misunderstanding and offer them to the Lord. He sees the truth clearly.
May we, too, learn from the hurt when others judge us wrongly, so that we listen more and jump to conclusions less. Or, in the words of St. Francis of Assisi, “May we not seek to understand and be understood more than to be comforted, to be loved more than to love.”
Let’s pray:
Precious Savior, who has attained to your own, yet has been rejected and despised, teach me to respond to wrong judgments with grace and humility, as you have done. Because you know the sting that comes when you misunderstand and denigrate the good things done by others. You, the immaculate Lamb of God, have been falsely accused and sentenced to death as a criminal.
I can learn from this experience when I take comfort in your empathy, knowing that you understand the hurt I feel when I am misunderstood. To improve your ability to understand and listen to other people’s opinions, without forgetting the sadness of wrong decisions. Having a strong desire to understand rather than being understood. Just as I don’t want others to judge me impulsively, I don’t want to jump to conclusions about others. Instead, let your grace guide me so that I can spend more time listening and observing rather than immediately giving my opinion.
Even if others cannot recognize the truth, I surrender my suffering to You because You know everything. You are a righteous judge who was willing to take on my sins and die the death I deserved so that I could have eternal life. Christ, I pray in your name. Amen.
Share your thoughts on today’s devotion in the Daily Prayer discussion in the Crosswalk Forum.
Photo credit: ©Getty Images/Kamonwan Wankaew
Sophia Bricker is a writer. Her mission is to help people grow in their relationship with Jesus through thoughtful articles, devotions, and stories. She earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Christian Ministry, which included extensive study in the Bible and theology, as well as a master’s degree in creative writing. You can read her thoughts on literature and faith in The Cross, a Pen, and a Page Substack. You can also visit Cultivate, a disciple-based site she writes with her sister.
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